The Muhajreen Palace in Damascus, Syria, also referred to as the Al-Muhajireen Palace, is a historically significant building located in the Muhajreen neighborhood on the slopes of Mount Qasioun. It served as the first presidential palace of Syria, and was subsequently used as an state guest house.
The Muhajreen area was initially developed in the late 19th century by Ottoman governor Hüseyin Nâzım Pasha (1854-1927), who settled Muslim immigrants from Crete there following sectarian strife. [1] [2]
The palace was constructed by Nazim Pasha between 1902 and 1904, based on a design by the Spanish architect Fernando de Aranda, who also created several other early 20th-century monuments in Damascus. [3]
The property was later sold to the Egyptian Wahba Khurshid Pasha for five thousand Ottoman pounds. During the Great War, the palace served as the official residence of Djemal Pasha and the Ottoman army command. [4] From 1915 to 1918, it was repurposed as a military hospital under the supervision of Amal Pasha Al-Mersini. [4] King Faisal resided there after his coronation in Syria in March 1920, remaining until his departure following the Battle of Maysalun in July of the same year. [4] Subsequently, the palace housed the embassy of the Kingdom of Iraq during the interwar period. [4]
The building gained further prominence when it became the residence of Syria's first elected president, Muhammad Ali Bey al-Abid (1932–1936). [1] During his presidency, the neighborhood's connectivity and importance increased with the introduction of a tramway line connecting it to central Damascus. [1] The palace's architecture reflects an eclectic blend of styles from its era, combining Ottoman influences with early modern design elements. [1]
In the second half of the 20th century, it continued to serve as a presidential palace before it became a state guest house of the Syrian government. The palace has undergone extensive renovation in 2009 and 2010.
After the Fall of Damascus and ousting of president Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, citizens entered the palace taking photos and looting valuable items such as furniture and ornaments. [5]
Damascus is the capital and largest city of Syria, the oldest current capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth holiest city in Islam. Known colloquially in Syria as aš-Šām (الشَّام) and dubbed, poetically, the "City of Jasmine", Damascus is a major cultural center of the Levant and the Arab world.
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Al-Azm Palace is a palace in Damascus, Syria, built in 1749. Located north of Al-Buzuriyah Souq in the Ancient City of Damascus, the palace was built in 1749 to be the private residence for As'ad Pasha al-Azm, the governor of Damascus; during the French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon, it housed the French Institute.
Syrian Turkmen are Syrian citizens of Turkish origin who mainly trace their roots to Anatolia. Turkish-speaking Syrian Turkmen make up the third largest ethnic group in the country, after the Arabs and Kurds respectively.
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As'ad Pasha al-Azm was the governor of Damascus under Ottoman rule from 1743 to his deposition in 1757. He was responsible for the construction of several architectural works in the city and other places in Syria.
The Azm Palace is an 18th-century Ottoman-era palace in Hama, Syria at the center of the city on the banks of the Orontes River, about 400 meters (1,300 ft) south of the Hama Citadel. Ross Burns, author of Monuments of Syria (1999), reportedly considers the Azm Palace to be "one of the loveliest Ottoman residential buildings in Syria." The palace has been used as a regional archaeology museum since 1956.
Al-Azm family is a prominent Damascene family. Their political influence in Ottoman Syria began in the 18th century when members of the family administered Maarrat al-Nu'man and Hama. A scion of the family, Ismail Pasha al-Azm, was appointed wāli of Damascus Eyalet in 1725. Between 1725 and 1783, members of the family, including As'ad Pasha al-Azm, held power in Damascus for 47 years, in addition to periodical appointments in Sidon Eyalet, Tripoli Eyalet, Hama, Aleppo Eyalet, and Egypt Eyalet. The family's influence declined in the 19th century, failing to establish a true dynasty.
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The Presidential Palace is the chief official residence of the President of Syria. It is located in the west of Damascus, on Mount Mezzeh, north of Mezzeh neighborhood, next to Mount Qasioun, and overlooks the city. The main building covers 31,500 square metres. The entire plateau of Mount Mezzeh is part of the palace compound and is surrounded by a security wall and guard watchtowers. In front of the building is a large fountain and the palace itself largely consists of empty rooms clad in Carrara marble.
Tishreen Palace is one of the official residences of the President of Syria, located in Damascus. It is located in the Ar Rabwah neighborhood, south of Mount Qasioun. The building covers 10,000 square meters. During the Syrian civil war, there were reports that rebels fired mortars at the palace. The palace was used as the primary official residence of the Assad family, until the construction of the Presidential Palace on Mount Mazzeh was finished in the early 1990s.
Marj al-Sultan is a village in southern Syria, administratively part of the Rif Dimashq Governorate, located 15 kilometers east of Damascus city. The village is situated in the fertile Ghouta region amid an orchard-filled area. Nearby localities include Harasta al-Qantarah and Zabdin to the west, al-Nashabiyah to the north, al-Bilaliyah to the east, Deir Salman to the southeast, Sakka to the south and Deir al-Asafir to the southwest.
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